Newly released video shows the moment a UPS cargo plane’s engine violently tore off during takeoff last November in Louisville, Kentucky, creating a massive explosion that killed 15 people.…....
The video was released Tuesday during a federal investigative hearing on the Nov. 4 crash of Flight 2976, which killed three people inside the plane and 12 on the ground.
The engine separation resulted from fatigue cracks on the left wing’s pylon, which attaches the engine to the plane’s wing, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said at Tuesday’s hearing, which was attended by the Federal Aviation Administration and UPS.
The cargo plane’s left engine separated from the plane shortly after takeoff, leading to the plane’s total destruction, aviation authorities said.
The Boeing MD-11F continued to climb to about 30 feet above ground level after its engine was ripped away. The aircraft was destroyed shortly after, with multiple, previously released videos showing a massive fireball filling the sky.
In addition to the deaths, one of which occurred 51 days after the crash, two people on the ground suffered serious injuries and 21 had minor injuries, authorities said.
This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the UPS plane crash scene, two days after it took place.
“Please know that your loved ones are the reason we’re here,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday in a message to those affected by the crash. “We want to find out what happened. And after this investigation concludes, our work does not end … so that no one else has to suffer a similar tragedy.”
The Boeing plane’s model resumed flying last week after the completion of an extensive review by the FAA.
